Start Over
by waldorfxfastfan
Summary: Stefan left Elena at home with their two kids, leaving her to provide for them alone. Now trying to get her life back on track after coming out of an abusive relationship, Elena does everything she can to better their future. That's until her husband's older brother walks through the front door for a little visit. Now Elena is left confused on where to go and what to do. (Delena)
1. Chapter 1

So this is a new story i'm writing, not sure if it I will continue though. Based on the reviews if you wants me to then I will :) Please review and enjoy!

_Italics _are flashbacks by the way!

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Chapter 1

"_I can't do this anymore Stefan," Elena said, tears in her eyes. _

"_What're you talking about?" he asked standing up from his spot on the couch and walking towards her. _

_Elena took a deep breath, "I refuse to be treated the way I am. Either you quit with the drinking and violent behavior, or I'll take action," she said confident._

_Stefan snickered, "You're going to take action?" he asked with an amused look on his face. "And what would that be? You're going to tell your little brother? What's he going to do? You going to call the cops? Good luck with that," he turned away from her and made his way back to the couch._

"_Stefan," Elena said. He ignored her and continued to the couch to finish his beer. "Stefan!" she screamed. He quickly turned around and walked over to her, fast. _

"_Who the hell do you think your talking to?" he screamed in her face. She held her hands up to his chest and tried pushing him away from her. He grabbed both her wrist that lay on his chest and removed them. His grip tightened and he pushed her back into the coffee table. _

"_Don't touch me!" she screamed from her spot on the floor. No matter how much pain she was in right now, she refused to break. Broken glass was on the ground from her falling on the table and some of it stabbing into her back. Elena pushed herself up from the floor and walked away from him and into the kitchen. She wiped the tears falling from her eyes. "I'm leaving Stefan."_

_Stefan followed her into the kitchen, "Baby, without me you're nothing." He started walking towards her slowly. _

"_Don't," she said, holding up a finger and pointing it at him. She grabbed a glass cup from the cabinet and filled it with water from the sink. She put it to her lips and took a long drink from it. Before she knew it, Stefan swung and knocked it out of her hand. It shattered on the ground with glass and water everywhere. Elena put a finger on her lip where she now felt blood. _

"_You're gonna listen to me Elena. You're not leaving me. You're staying here with the kids and you're gonna be a wife, just like you've always wanted to be."_

"_You don't own me Stefan," she said through clenched teeth._

"_You do what I say!" he yelled, raising a hand and slapped her across the face. She instantly grabbed her right cheek and held it. It wasn't the first smack she's received from him, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less. It stung and she felt her face get hot. She felt her heart pounding and she never broke eye contact with Stefan. "Understand?" he asked her. _

"_Screw you," she spat and walked past him. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. _

"_You think I like doing this Elena? You're just so damn stubborn!" _

"_Let go of me!" She yelled trying to pull her arm out of his grasp. "Stefan, you're hurting me," she barley got out as he twisted her arm. "Please, I'm sorry," she begged._

"_Now was that so hard?" he asked releasing her arm. He left her alone in the kitchen as he made his way into the living room, where he'd probably end up getting drunk for the night. _

_Elena took a shaky breath and leaned against the refrigerator. She slowly slid down it and her body racked with tears. How much more of this would she be able to handle?_

"Happy birthday princess," Elena whispered in her daughter's ear as she woke her up. Her now three-year-old rolled over and groaned, "Come on Hailie, time to get up silly." The young girl stretched in her bed and sat up.

"I'm 4 today," she smiled brightly and held up four fingers. Elena smiled and picked up her daughter.

"That's right, now we have to get your dressed for your party today." Elena carried her over to the closet and sat her on the floor. She picked out a black ruffled skirt and a white shirt with a cheetah print heart in the center. "Alrighty, let's go," she smiled and took her daughters hand in hers.

Next stop was to her son's room. Parker was sleeping soundly in his big blue bed with stuffed animals surrounding him. "Parker!" Hailie yelled as she ran onto his bed and sat down next to him. "It's my birthday! Get up! We gonna party!"

The small boy rolled over and opened his eyes. Elena picked him up and dressed him in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She walked downstairs with both her kids and into the living room. The very same living room she spent so much time in. The room her and Stefan shared so many memories in.

The Salvatore house.

She sighed and put Parker on the floor, where he took off with Hailie and ran around. Elena tied her hair back into a ponytail and walked into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out the orange juice.

"Jesus Christ!" she yelled and grabbed her chest when she turned around. Standing behind her was the one and only, Damon. "You scared me."

"Good to see you too," he smiled at her.

"How'd you get in here?" she asked him, clearly surprised he was standing in her kitchen. To be honest, she didn't like the fact that he showed up unannounced to her house.

"You know, I used to live here too, I know where the spare key is," he winked at her.

"Then I guess I better change the hiding spot."

"Now why would you want to do that?" he asked taking the cup of orange juice Elena poured for herself and drank it.

"I don't know, maybe so creeps like you don't just show up in my house?"

"Yeah, you never know who lurks around in Mystic Falls," he smirked.

"What're you doing here Damon?" Elena asked annoyed.

"Well, it is my baby bro's kid's birthday today. Today is the kid's birthday right?" Damon asked, doubt creeping onto his face that it wasn't her birthday today.

"Yeah, but you three years late," she remarked.

"So what? I didn't show up to the last three parties. But in my defense, I never got a party invitation," He said holding his hands up, Elena smiled at him as she put the juice in the fridge.

"Mommy!" a voice yelled as feet ran into the kitchen. Hailie stopped in her tracks at the strange man sitting in the kitchen.

"Boo," he whispered to her, causing her to run to her mother. "Easy kid, I'm not a killer," he held his hands up in defense and laughed.

"Hailie, this is Uncle Damon. He's daddy's brother," Elena introduced him to her.

"Speaking of baby bro, where is he?" Damon asked.

Elena shot him a look, "Not now Damon." Elena picked Hailie up and adjusted her on her hip. "Aunt Caroline will be here any minute now to help decorating, isn't that gonna be fun?"

"Yes!" Hailie exclaimed.

"I'm here!" Caroline announced herself as she walked in with her hands full of bags. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted Damon, "What's he doing here?" she asked Elena, confused.

"Good to see you too, Barbie. And _he_ is here because it's Emily-"

"Hailie," Elena corrected him.

"_Hailie's _birthday," he finished. Caroline rolled her eyes and put all the bags on the kitchen table. She pulled streamers, balloons, signs, and poster paper out of the bags.

"Let's get started," she smiled.

* * *

Hailie and Parker were coloring while Elena hung streamers down the staircase and Caroline hung signs up around the house that read _Happy Birthday. _Damon on the other hand was sitting and watching while nursing a beer.

"You know, you could help," Caroline said throwing a plastic bag full of balloons that had to be blown up at him. "Start blowing them up." He groaned but reluctantly sat up and starting blowing up the balloons.

"I'm getting light-headed," he complained a few minutes later.

"Man up," Elena told him and retrieved the six balloons he already blew up. She scattered them around the house and went back to help him finish up. "Bonnie will be here soon," she told him.

"What is this, a reunion or something?"

"No one told you to come," she shrugged. "Did you even bring a present?" she asked.

"Of course I did," he said rudely and pulled out a crumpled ten-dollar bill and gave it to her. She rolled her eyes and accepted it, placing it on the table next to her.

"Bonnie's here!" Caroline announced as her other best friend walked through the door with a party bag in her hands.

"Elena," Bonnie said, sympathy on her face.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked from her spot on the couch.

"This was in front of the door," she said holding up a small box with wrapping paper around it. "It's from… Stefan."

"He was here? Why didn't he come in or something?" Elena asked standing up and walking over to Bonnie. She took the present out of her hand and looked at the tag. "It's for Hailie. Did you see him Bonnie?"

"No," Bonnie shook her head. "It was there when I pulled up." Elena nodded in understanding with a sad smile. "Elena…"

"No, I'm fine," Elena said putting on a front. "I'm gonna go check on the food," she said walking out of the living room and into the kitchen.

"What does she mean go check on food? She isn't even cooking anything," Damon said.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," Caroline replied sourly. She rolled her eyes and went back to decorating the house. Bonnie sighed uncomfortably and went over to the kids.

"Happy birthday Hailie," she smiled and handed her a birthday bag. Hailie smiled excitedly and opened it to see her present. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the doll she wanted.

"Thank you Aunt Bonnie!" she exclaimed and jumped up to hug her aunt.

"No problem sweetheart," Bonnie replied hugging the young girl back.

Elena stood over a pot boiling water in the kitchen. She tried to remain calm for her kid's sake. How could Stefan just come and go like that on his kid's birthday? She heard heavy footsteps approaching her. She stood up straighter and shook off the thoughts. "You don't have to pretend to be okay," a husky voice said from behind her.

"If I don't then who will?" she asked.

"You've known those people out there your whole life. Sorry sweetheart, but you ain't fooling any of them."

"Well if I pretend that I'm okay, sooner or later I'll start believing it Damon."

"And how do you know that it will work?"

"Because Damon!" she yelled, and quickly regretted it. "Because, it works every other time." She looked into his deep blue eyes. The ones she always got lost in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! 10 reviews on the first chapter? Thanks guys! It means a lot to me, please review this one too! :)**

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Chapter 2

"_It's a girl!" Elena quickly relaxed, her head falling back onto her pillow. Her breathing was still uneven and she was in pain. "Say hi to mommy," Stefan said to the infant as he held her up for Elena to see. In Stefan's two hands was a small screaming and crying body. Elena smiled as happy tears came to her eyes. _

"_I wanna hold her," Elena breathed out. Stefan nodded and quickly wrapped her small body up in the nearby blanket. He moved over to the side of the bed by Elena and gave the baby to her. "Hi," she whispered as she rubbed her baby's cheek with her finger. "What're we going to name her?" she asked Stefan._

"_Whatever you want," Stefan told her. _

"_Let's see… Karen? Do you like that?" Elena asked the baby. "Or… Lilly? How about… Rose? Ava? Sarah?"_

"_Sarah's nice," Stefan said._

"_You like that? Sarah? Huh?" She asked the infant in her arms. She cooed and Elena laughed, "Then it's settled, Sarah Salvatore." _

"_I'm gonna go wash my hands," Stefan said making his way to the bathroom. When Elena felt the contractions come on she quickly woke Stefan from his sleep. It was 4 in the morning and the baby was ready. A little bit too ready perhaps. They didn't have time to make it to a hospital, so the baby was born right in Elena and Stefan's bedroom, in their bed. Elena held the baby in her arms and looked at her, she was so perfect. The little bit of hair on her head had a slight curl to it and it was light brown. She waved her tiny fists in the air and started crying again. Elena hushed the baby gently rocked her. _

"_It's alright love," she said softly to the baby. Moments later Stefan returned, fresh sheets in his arms and he approached the bed. He took the baby out of Elena's arms while she shakily stood up and made her way over to the dresser, putting out clean clothes. "I'm gonna clean up," she informed Stefan and then walked to the bathroom._

_Stefan looked down at the baby in his arms. He was astounded; this was a creation of his. He smiled down at her as she started crying again. "It's okay, it's okay…" he repeated, waiting for Elena to return. She only took a few minutes to change her clothes and come back into the room. _

"_I like Hailie," Elena announced. "Hailie Sarah Salvatore."_

"_Hailie?" Stefan repeated. "Alright, Hailie Sarah Salvatore."_

* * *

"Time for cake!" Elena announced to her house full of kids running around. All the little kids screamed and ran into the kitchen for the cake. Hailie took the spot next to Damon and Elena placed the cake in front of her. Everybody sang her happy birthday and she blew out the candles on her cake with a smile. Elena cut the cake and handed everybody a piece.

The kids retired to the living room to watch a movie and the adults stayed in the kitchen. Elena was sitting on the kitchen counter, Bonnie and Caroline at the kitchen table, and Jeremy and Klaus outside. "So I think she's having fun," Elena said referring to Hailie.

"Yeah, at least she hasn't asked about Stefan yet," Bonnie agreed. "Has he called or anything since he left the present?"

"Nope," Elena said popping the 'p' as she said it. "I miss him," she spoke quietly. The mood in the room quickly shifted. They all turned their heads to the back door as it shut. In walked Damon holding a can of beer.

"This sucks," he said holding it up. "Really? Coors Light? Who drinks this shit? You have to get the real stuff," he told Elena. She rolled her eyes at him. "So, when does everyone leave? I'd like to have my house back."

"The party ends soon Damon, the kids are watching a movie and then parents will be here to pick them up," Elena informed him. "_You're _house? Last I checked, you moved because, and I quote, 'This house is a piece of shit, it's too big and old.'"

"Well maybe I changed my mind," he shrugged. "So Blondie," he said to Caroline. "You and Klaus, huh? How's that going? I went to high school with the kid, real asshole."

"For your information, Klaus is nothing but a gentleman to me. He's changed a lot since his high school years," Caroline spoke up for her fiancée. Damon shrugged and took another sip of his beer, crinkling his face at the taste of it as he did so. Elena walked over to where Damon was by the fridge and grabbed a water bottle.

"And you miss Bonnie, you and Gilbert? _Really?" _

"Hey!" Elena yelled and smacked Damon in his arm. "Leave Jeremy alone, him and Bonnie are happy together."

"_Ow_," he said dramatically and held his arm. He put his now empty beer can down on the counter and took Elena's water bottle. He opened it and drank more than half of it in one chug.

"Do you mind?" Elena asked annoyed. He was acting like a child today.

"Nope," he smirked and gave it back to her. She held it up to inspect it, seeing only about two sips left in it. Elena rolled her eyes and put it on the counter, no longer thirsty. The four adults stood in the kitchen in an awkward silence.

"So," Caroline said dragging her 'o'. "I'm gonna go see what Klaus is doing."

"Yeah, I think I should go see what Jeremy is doing too," Bonnie agreed and stood up, following Caroline outside. Elena gave them a look for leaving her alone in the kitchen alone with Damon. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed loudly.

"Seriously, what they hell do you want?" Elena asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Mommy!" Parker, Elena and Stefan's nearly two year old yelled, wobbling into the kitchen. "Ma!" he smiled as he reached Elena and put his arms out for her to pick him up. She smiled at her youngest and bent down to pick him up. God, he looked just like Stefan. The image of Stefan ran through her head and she smiled sadly at Parker. Damon seemed to catch this and gave her a questioning look.

"Stop looking at me like that," she told him and he chuckled in response. "I'm serious. Stop laughing."

When Hailie's party ended, Bonnie and Caroline stayed for an extra hour before they took off. Damon left before them and still hadn't returned to the house. Elena, Hailie, and Parker were all sitting on the living room floor with blankets and pillows surrounding them. All three of them were in their pajamas and enjoying Chinese takeout with a fire burning behind them. It was dim in the large living room and they were all laughing enjoying themselves. Elena put her noodles down and went to retrieve the present Stefan left.

"Hey Hailie, daddy left this for you," Elena said handing the box to Hailie. She eagerly took it and ripped off the wrapping paper. It was a small black jewelry box. She opened it and inside was a necklace.

The necklace.

The one Stefan gave Elena when he first met her in high school. It was a silver talisman with a red gem in the center. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched Hailie take the necklace out of the box and hold it up. "This looks old and dirty," she said with a look. Elena laughed at her daughter.

"Daddy gave mommy that necklace a long time ago," Elena told her.

"Why don't you have it still?" she asked with questioning eyes.

_Elena sat on the floor of the living room waiting for Stefan to return. She had the fireplace going, take out food on the floor, and blankets and pillows all around her. It was something she and Stefan often did as a Saturday date night. Two-year-old Hailie was asleep in her bed and a few months old Parker was up in his room sleeping. The night was going as planned, until Stefan didn't show up. She ran one hand through her hair as her other one fingered the charm hanging off her necklace. She wore it everyday since Stefan had giving it to her in high school. She was just about to get up and throw the food out when the front door opened and slammed close. In stumbled a drunken Stefan. _

"_Where have you been?" she asked from her spot on the floor. He walked over to her without falling and pointed a finger at her._

"_Where have you been?" he slurred and laughed. Elena stood up and went closer to him. _

"_What the hell Stefan? It's almost mid-night, did you forget about date-night? I've been waiting since 9."_

"_Oh, just shut the hell up," he said annoyed. _

_Elena crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath, "Don't talk to me like that." _

_He rolled his eyes, "I'll talk to you how ever I want to. Listen, sorry I missed the crappy date-night we have every Saturday." Did he seriously just say that? _

"_Well maybe I wanted to spice this one up," she said, un-tying her black robe to show him her matching black bra and panties. _

_He laughed, "Loose 20 pounds and then maybe I'll consider touching you." She quickly covered herself up with the robe. She had given birth only two months ago, it wasn't like she was even fat. She now only weigh 140, the baby weight was shedding quickly. Elena suddenly felt enraged. _

"_Listen asshole, I gave you two awesome ass kids, and anyone would be more than happy to touch this. Who knows, maybe while you were out I had someone over here," she said confidently, although she knew she would never consider cheating on Stefan, but he didn't know that. In one motion, her head turned to the left and her cheek stung. He slapped her. A tear ran down her cheek and she held her red cheek, staring at him blankly. _

"_Whore," he called her. No one had ever called her that. She felt like trash right about now. _

"_Stefan-"_

"_I don't wanna hear it Elena!" he screamed._

"_But I-"_

"_Did I just not fucking say I don't want to hear it?" he yelled while grabbing her shoulders and shook her. He pushed her back with all his might and she slammed hard on the ground. She lay there, unable to move due to the pain. He walked over to his helpless wife and bent down next to her. He brought his hand up to the necklace around her neck and yanked it off. "If you need me I'll be upstairs sleeping." _

_He winked at her before stuffing the necklace in his pocket and walking up the staircase to their room. _

Elena looked at he daughter. "I thought I lost it, daddy must've found it," she easily lied. Hailie nodded, believing her, and gave her mother the necklace. Elena crawled over to her and latched the necklace around Hailie's neck. "It's beautiful."

"Who, me? Yeah, I already know that Elena, no need to tell the kids. I'm sure they don't want to hear their mom's perverted thoughts," Damon said walking into the living room. Elena hadn't heard the front door open or close.

She blushed, "No a-s-s- hole," she spelled out the first part. "I wasn't talking about you."

"Yeah, mama was talking about my necklace!" Hailie yelled standing up with her hands on her hips as she yelled at Damon. Elena stifled a laugh as Damon rolled his eye and walked over to the three of them.

"What're you guys doing? There is a kitchen you know."

"We have a dinner out here every Saturday night," Elena said. "But I think it's time for bed," she said looking at an already sleeping Parker. She scooped him up and Hailie ran for the stairs. Elena followed her up them and put Parker in his room first. Then she went into Hailie's room. "Night sweetie," she said tucking her into bed.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"When is that guy gonna leave?" Hailie asked, referring to Damon.

Elena shrugged, "That's daddy's brother, so he's allowed to come here whenever he wants, this is his house too. Goodnight." She kissed her daughter on the cheek followed by turning the light off and leaving the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the wait everyone! But here is chapter 3, please review telling me what you think, enjoy!

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Chapter 3

Elena sighed as she walked back downstairs and into the living room. Surprisingly, it was completely clean. No more food containers, pillows, or blankets were scattered all over the floor. Instead, Damon sat on the couch with his eyes closed.

"You didn't have to clean all that, I would have," she said sitting down next to him. He opened his eyes and looked at her and shrugged. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. So Mrs. Salvatore, where is this mister?"

"It's Gilbert, and he's not here."

"_Obviously, _but _where _is he?"

"I don't know." Damon looked at her with a questioning look. "Look Damon, let's just say that things between me and him didn't work out."

"And he just left? Then why did you seem so upset this morning when he left a stupid present for the kid?"

"I love Stefan always have, always will. But he changed and it changed our relationship. To be honest, I'm not sure why he left, but he did."

"Care to elaborate?" he asked.

"Jesus," she rolled her eyes. "After I gave birth to Hailie, things were great for the first year. Then we found out that I was pregnant again and we were tight on cash. Stefan felt as if he had to support us, and he went down hill. He put too much pressure on himself and that resulted in him lashing out. And when I gave birth to Parker, Stefan became a complete ass." Elena explained.

Damon was completely lost. "So, explain to me why he left, will ya?"

"One night, things got really bad. He hit Hailie, and I think that's what triggered his leaving. He snapped out of his craze and just stared at her. Then he left without a word, left all his clothes and everything, and he didn't come home."

"That asshole," he muttered. Elena shifted uncomfortably, why had she shared that with him? "Was she okay?" he asked with genuine concern, Elena nodded and a look of relief washed over his face. "Well I'm gonna go to bed. My room is still available right?"

"Well about that. I actually started sleeping in there after Stefan left. I had too many bad memories in his room where we slept," she stated embarrassed.

"Oh," he commented, a little surprised. "It's fine, I'll sleep on the couch. Go get some sleep Elena."

* * *

"_Just hold him and he will stop crying!" Elena screamed at her husband. Here she was in the kitchen trying to make breakfast. She burnt the toast, the bacon was over cooked, and the smoke detectors were going off from the smoke. Parker was screaming his head off and Hailie was banging pots in the kitchen. And Stefan sat on his ass in a chair complaining. _

_Hailie was 2, almost three and Parker was 1. Parker had the flu and was constantly crying, wanting to be held. He sat in his highchair crying and screaming his head off for some attention. _

"_Daddy!" Hailie yelled over her banging pots. "I make music!" _

"_Elena! Turn the fucking thing off!" he yelled pointing to the smoke detector. She took a hand towel and began waving it in the air, trying to get rid of the smoke. _

"_I'm trying Stefan!" she yelled back. He put his head in his hands and groaned, his hangover was killing him and this noise wasn't helping. Elena grabbed a broom and hit the smoke detector with it, finally silencing it. _

"_Music!" Hailie screamed and banged two pots together making an extremely loud noise. Elena had just reached Parker and picked him up silencing his crying, when Hailie started screaming. Elena quickly turned around to see what had happened. Stefan was standing with a scared look on his face as he looked down at Hailie. She was lying on the ground with a broken plate around her. Elena placed Parker back in his highchair and rushed to Hailie's side. _

"_Elena, I didn't mean too," Stefan said in shock. Elena grabbed Hailie and held her as she sat on the floor. She gathered Hailie into her arms and inspected her for any serious injuries. _

"_What did you do?" She yelled._

"_I didn't mean too," he repeated._

"_STEFAN!" She screamed as loud as she could. _

"_I-I-I just grabbed the plate and threw it in her direction, I wasn't thinking," he said kneeling down by Elena and Hailie. He put a hand on Hailie's head and brushed back her hair, only for Elena to push him away. "Please, I didn't mean too."_

"_Stop Stefan! Just stop!" Elena cried. She stood up holding Hailie with one arm and held Parker in her other and carried them into the living room. She placed both them on the couch and returned back in the kitchen for an icepack. _

_Stefan was gone._

"_Stefan?" she called out. No answer. "Stefan?" she tried again. Still nothing. _

_That was the last time she saw Stefan Salvatore._

Elena woke up in a cold sweat. She quickly sat up and looked around the room. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail to get it out of her face and she got up out of her bed. Quietly, she made her way down the creaky staircase and into the living room. The fire was still burning and Damon was sound asleep on the couch. She walked into the kitchen and got herself a glass of water to calm her nerves. It seemed that ever since Stefan had left, she'd been having dreams of all the abuse he caused. It was too much for her to handle. Looking at the clock on the wall, she saw that it read 5 am. _Great,_ she had work in an hour. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep she decided to go take a shower. She walked down the hall to the bathroom and set the water. She stepped in and let the steaming hot water wash over her body. She rested her head against the wall and relaxed. When had life gotten so hard?

20 minutes later she turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. She ran her fingers through her wet tangled hair and put it in a towel.

"Shit! Sorry!" Damon said. Elena turned around quickly and saw Damon standing there in the doorway.

"Damon!" she exclaimed and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her exposed body. "Don't you know how to knock?"

"Well I had to take a piss and who the hell up is at 5:30 in the morning anyway?"

"Me," she said walking past him and out of the bathroom. "Pig."

"It's not like I haven't seen any of that before!" he called to her with an amused look on his face. Although he couldn't see, Elena blushed and hurried upstairs.

Sadly to her, it was true. This wasn't the first time he had seen her naked. But in her defense, she was drunk when it happened.

_Elena nursed a red cup in her hand as she leaned against a wall for support. Elena was in her junior year of high school and was living it up. She was at her boyfriend, Stefan's house, where a party was currently taking place. It was sort of like a 'Welcome to Junior Year' kind of party. _

_Her head felt like her head was going to explode any second now, and she couldn't find anyone. Caroline was off dancing with people and Stefan was nowhere to be seen. She saw the staircase to the left of her and smiled. She'd been in this house thousands of times; she would just go to Stefan's room and sleep it off. She stumbled up the stairs, constantly falling, but finally made it to the top. Now which door was Stefan's? There was a door to her left and one across from that, on her right. She shrugged and opened the door on the left. _

_It was too dark for her to see so she just walked over to the bed and fell on it. "Jesus!" she heard someone yell from the bed. "Who the hell is this?" he asked trying to move her hair from her face to see her._

"_Take a guess," she mumbled with a smirk. _

"_Get out Elena," Damon sighed._

"_You get out," she mumbled back. "I am just trying to sleep on Stefan's bed," she said matter-of-factly. _

"_Across the hall, idiot," Damon said with a roll of his eyes. _

"_But I don't feel like moving!" she complained. _

"_So get your drunk ass up here and sleep, I'll go somewhere else." She smiled as she climbed all the way up on Damon's bed and laid her head on his pillow. She felt the bed shift as he stood up._

"_Where you going?" she asked. "Are you going to party?"_

"_Why would I go party with a bunch of juniors? I'm 6 years older than all of you." _

"_Well don't go," she whined. "I need someone and I can't find Stefan."_

"_Fine," he gave in and went into bed next to her. "You reek of alcohol." He looked down at he and saw her eyes were closed but a smile played on her lips. He turned off the lamp on his bedside table and lay back down. Damn, was this awkward. He was lying in bed with his little brother's girlfriend. The bed shifted beside him as Elena sat up. In the dark he could barley make out what she was doing. She lifted her arms up and suddenly took her shirt off. "What the hell are you doing?" Damon asked sitting up._

"_I'm hot," she groaned._

"_Well put your fricking shirt back on!" he said handing it to her. She frowned and didn't put it back on; in fact, she just lay back down to sleep, leaving Damon in an awkward moment. _

Elena rolled her eyes as she brushed out her long wet hair. She dressed in a pair of jeans and a pink shirt. She walked down the hall to her daughter's room and woke her up. "Come on Hai, time to get up." Hailie groaned as she opened her eyes and sat up. "You're going to Aunt Bonnie's today," Elena told her with a smile. She picked Hailie up and dressed her in her clothes, then went to Parker's room and did the same to him.

Walking down the stairs, holding two sleepy kids, Elena walked into the kitchen. Damon was in there as well, holding a cup of coffee. "Want a cup?" he asked Elena.

"Yeah, sure," she nodded. Both kids walked over to the table and sat down. "Thanks," Elena said taking the cup of coffee Damon handed to her. "So, what're you doing today?"

Damon shrugged, "Probably hit up some old friends, go to the bar."

"Well, I'm taking them to Jeremy and Bonnie's and I'll be on my way to work," Elena informed him.

* * *

"Be good, love you guys," Elena said giving both her kids a kiss before Jeremy took them inside. "We need to talk later Bon," Elena said to her friend before giving her a hug and saying goodbye.

Elena walked over to her car and drove off to work. She worked as a receptionist in a doctor's office. She parked her car in her usually parking spot and walked into the office.

"Good morning Elena," Dr. Donovan greeted.

"Good morning Matt," Elena smiled sweetly.

"There's some paper work I need you to do too today, when you get the chance," he told her.

Elena nodded, "I'll get on it."

She walked over to her desk and picked up the folder that was full of the paper work she would have to complete for the day. She sighed while flipping through the papers. She felt her back pocket vibrate and grabbed her phone out of it. Who would be calling at 6:30 am anyway?

"Hello?" she asked. The other line was silent, she looked at the caller ID, and it was blocked. "Hello?" she repeated.

"How was her birthday?" a deep voice asked on the other line.

Elena felt her heart leap in her chest. "Stefan?" she barely asked.

"Did she get my gift?" he asked.

Tears strolled down Elena's face and she nodded. "Y-yeah, she got it. Stefan, where are you?"

"I gotta go."

"No, Stefan please," she begged. "Please just come home."

"Bye Elena," he said and a click was heard over the phone.

"No, Stefan!" Elena yelled. "Answer me now, god dammit!" She yelled, knowing that he had already ended the call. She slammed her phone down on her desk.

"Elena?" Matt asked. "Are you alright?"

"No," she said grabbing her purse. "I'm sorry Matt, but I have to go." She walked past him and rushed out of the building, leaving Matt puzzled. She got into her car and slammed the door. After getting into her seat she banged on the steering wheel, getting all of her frustration yet. If it was even possible, Elena felt her heart break even more. It finally hit her, Stefan wasn't returning, he was gone. And he didn't want to come back home to his family.

After starting her car, she sped out of the mostly empty parking lot and down the street to the bar. Hell, she needed a drink.


	4. Chapter 4

**I haven't updated in forever, and I'm so sorry! But enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter 4

"And he ain't coming back," Elena slurred to the stranger next to her. She finished her drink and set it down for a refill. After leaving her job she drove down to the bar. She was on her fifth drink now. She had her hair down flowing down her back and her blouse unbuttoned completely, leaving her in only her jeans and a purple tank top. She was having a conversation with some stranger, at least 10 years older than she was.

"But fuck it," she said raising her glass to her lips and taking a sip. "Who needs guys anyway?"

"You're right sweet thing, most guys are asses, but not me," he said resting his hand on her upper thigh. Elena's face turned red and she took another sip of her liquor. The guy moved his hand upwards and Elena smiled shyly at him.

"Remove the hand before I _break it,"_ Damon said from behind them. Elena jumped in surprise at Damon's voice behind her. He smiled as he said the last part of the sentence. Elena turned around to see him standing there.

"Jesus!" she yelled, resting a hand over her heart, "Don't do that," she said as if she were reprimanding a small child.

"And who would you be?" The guy asked, not bothering to remove his hand form Elena's thigh.

"Damon, now do as I said, blockhead."

"I'd do as he says," Elena whispered to him. "He once knocked someone out with just one punch," she laughed. The guy slowly slid his hand off of Elena's thigh and looked at Damon, who just shrugged.

"Let's go Elena," Damon said.

She crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip, "I'm not going anywhere."

"If the pretty girl don't wanna go, the pretty girl don't wanna go," the man said standing up for Elena.

"I don't care _what _the pretty girl wants. Elena, _now_." He grabbed Elena's upper arm and tried pulling her up.

"No!" She yelled, getting out of Damon's embrace.

"You're getting really annoying," Damon said through clenched teeth. "Now let's fucking go."

"I'm having a drink with a friend," she said, taking another sip of her beer. Damon rolled his eyes and grabbed the glass out of her hand. "Hey!"

"Oh _please,_ I bet you don't even know this guys name," he said drinking the rest of her beer.

"I do too!"

"Alright, let's make a deal. If you can tell me ding-dong's name over there you can stay," Damon compromised.

Elena nodded, "His name is," she said trying really hard to think. She turned to him, "What did you say your name was again?" she asked with a laugh.

"Case closed," Damon muttered and picked Elena up, throwing her over his shoulder. "Let's go, you lush." Elena sighed in defeat and let her body go limp while he carried her out. Damon walked to his 1969 Chevy Camaro Convertible. He opened the passenger door and sat Elena down on the seat. "We're going home," he said and then slammed her door closed.

"Fine, Mr. Bossy Pants," she said crossing her arms and pouting.

"God, I can't wait till you're sober," he muttered, starting the car and driving off.

* * *

"Here," Damon said, giving Elena a trashcan and placing it on the floor by the bed.

"Thanks," she said quietly taking a sip of her water.

"How do you feel?"

"Like crap," Elena said tying her back into a messy bun.

Damon shrugged, "That's what you get for getting drunk at 7 in the morning. Bonnie said she would drop the kids off now so you don't have to go out." Elena nodded and lay down on the bed. "When did you start sleeping in here?" he asked sitting on the other side of his bed.

"When things got bad," she mumbled, pulling the blankets even closer to her.

"How bad?"

"When the nightmares started."

"What do you mean nightmares?" Damon asked, his voice raising. Elena shuddered at the loud noise, "Sorry," he apologized.

"A few months after he left I started having bad dreams about everything that had happened, and it was too much for me to sleep in the bed that I shared with him. And your room was just across the hall, so I slept in here one night. I didn't have any nightmares that night, so it just became a habit, you know, sleeping in here."

Damon nodded in understanding. "If you need anything let me know," he said. Elena nodded and closed her eyes, trying to sleep. There was a loud ding through the house and Damon stood up to answer the front door. "Damn doorbell," he muttered as he walked down the stairs. He opened the door to find Bonnie holding a sleeping toddler in her arms and the other one standing next to her.

"Hey Damon."

"What's up Bon Bon?" he asked with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes and placed Parker in Damon's arms, "See you tomorrow Hailie." She gave Hailie a hug bye and let herself out of the house. Hailie took off to the living room and sat down on the couch. Damon followed her and laid Parker down on the opposite couch.

"Where's my mom?" Hailie asked.

"Sleeping."

"When are you leaving?"

"None of your business."

"Do you have any kids?"

"Nope."

"Are you old?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?" Damon asked crossing his arms.

"Why do you want to know?" Hailie answered back.

"_This _is why I don't have kids," he said walking out of the living room and into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and looked in it for something to eat. "Hungry?" he asked Hailie, who followed him into the kitchen. She nodded and walked to where he was. "What do you want?"

She looked around the kitchen trying to think of what she wanted, "Ice cream!" she finally answered. Damon opened the freezer and took out the giant container of chocolate ice cream and sat it on the table. He then went to get two spoons and sat across from Hailie at the kitchen table. She grabbed her spoon and dug into the ice cream.

"What you name?" she asked while trying to lick the chocolate from her top lip.

"Damon," he said taking his spoon out of his mouth.

"My mommy said that you is my daddy's brother. Are you?" Hailie asked, licking her spoon that was covered in chocolate. Damon nodded and put a spoon full of ice cream into his mouth. "Do you know where my daddy is? I have been looking for him all the time, I can't find him," Hailie said and sighed.

Damon's heart sank at the younger girl; she was young, but acted like an adult. "No, I don't know where he is."

"When I was a little tiny, tiny, tiny baby," she said using her index finger and thumb and holding them an inch apart to show how tiny she was. "He used to hold me and play with me. That's what my mommy told me."

"I'll find him for you Hailie," Damon promised and continued eating the ice cream.

* * *

Elena came down the stairs about a half hour later to find Damon and Hailie sitting at the kitchen table. They were quiet, but eating some ice cream. When she got closer, she realized they had eaten an _entire tub _of ice cream.

"What're you guys doing?" Elena asked.

"I'm eating ice cream mommy!" Hailie yelled with a smile.

Elena laughed, "I can see that, it's all over your face, silly."

"What's his name again?" Hailie asked. "Daddy's brother, what's his name?"

"Damon," Elena said grabbing a napkin and cleaning Hailie's face.

"Yes, Damon! He gave me the ice cream, and guess what? He said to me he would find daddy!"

Elena looked at Damon, to find his eyes staring back into hers. "He did, now did he?" Elena said, continuing to clean Hailie's face. Hailie nodded eagerly and looked back over to Damon, giving him thumbs up, earning a laugh from him. After cleaning her up, Elena took the napkin, 2 spoons, and empty container to throw it all away. "I know there's Advil somewhere in here," she mumbled, rummaging through a cabinet in the kitchen.

"The clock says 8:20," Hailie told Damon. "I know that."

"Good for you," he shrugged.

"She's trying to impress you," Elena told her. "Got it," she mumbled when she finally found the bottle of Advil for her pounding headache. She grabbed two and took them with a glass of water from the sink. Elena felt her back pocket start vibrating and grabbed her phone out of it. "Hello?"

"Hey Elena!" Bonnie said on the other end. "I know I just dropped the kids off but I didn't get a chance to talk to you. Can me and Jer stop by later to talk to you about some things?"

"Yeah of course," Elena replied, closing her eyes and leaning back against the counter. "How's 6?"

"That's perfect!"

"See you then Bon."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Elena had pasta and garlic bread ready for everyone for dinner. Caroline had called and informed Elena she would be attending the dinner because Bonnie had important news. She counted the plates around the table. Making sure she had enough for everybody. 8 glass plates were placed at the table accompanied by glass cups and silverware. She started putting napkins around the table when the doorbell rang, once, twice, and three times. "Damon, can you get that?" she called. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Damon not getting up to get the door. She rolled her eyes and walked to the door, where it rang another 2 times. "Thanks, I got it," she said rudely to Damon. Standing on the other side of the door when Elena opened it was Caroline.

"Is Bonnie here yet? I didn't see her car out front, what's her announcement?"

"I have no idea Caroline, and hey Klaus," Elena said to Caroline's boyfriend.

"Elena," he greeted with a smile. The couple followed Elena into the kitchen and sat at the table to talk until Bonnie and Jeremy showed up.

"I'm going out!" Damon called from the living room and took off out the front door. Elena rolled her eyes and poured a glass of wine for Caroline and herself. As she sat back down in her seat Bonnie and Jeremy entered the kitchen.

"Damon let us in on his way out," Jeremy said after giving Elena a kiss on the cheek. Him and Bonnie took the seats opposite Caroline and Klaus and Hailie and Parker came running into the kitchen. Elena got up to serve everyone, putting pasta on his or her plates along with a slice of garlic bread. Just as she was about to pour Bonnie some wine she quickly put her hand over the top of the glass, earning a confused look from Elena.

"Why don't you want wine?"

"I can't," Bonnie said with a small smile. Jeremy placed an arm over Bonnie's shoulders and smile as well.

"Are you… Bonnie?" Elena asked appalled. Bonnie smiled even wider and put a hand on her stomach then nodded.

"Bonnie!" Caroline exclaimed and jumped out of her seat to run over to her best friend. "Oh my gosh! This is great! I call Godmother!" Bonnie laughed and looked back and forth between her two best friends, until Elena finally smiled and set the wine down on the table.

"So this is what the dinner was about?" Elena asked.

"Pretty much," Jeremy grinned.

"How long are you? Have you found out the gender? Why didn't you tell us sooner! Do you know when you conceived? How about-" Caroline started rambling, asking a bunch of questions until Elena interrupted her.

"Caroline, give her a minute," Elena said and then chuckled.

"I found out last night, so no, I don't know how far along I am," Bonnie answered.

"Jer!" Elena exclaimed, "You're gonna be a dad!" She smiled and Jeremy couldn't fight the smile breaking onto his face. The rest of the night consisted of the friends' laughter and talking about the news.

* * *

Everyone had left about an hour ago. It was now 10 o'clock at night and Elena was trying to get the kids ready for bed, however she was having some trouble. They refused to listen to a word she said. "Parker!" she yelled once more to her son who was running around naked. "Get over here!"

"Ahh!" Hailie screamed from her position of standing on the couch. "He's home!" Elena turned her head to the front door and saw Damon standing there with another girl. Their entrance got Parker's attention, because he stopped running and focused on them. This gave time for Elena to snatch him up with his towel to dry his body from his recent bath. He started screaming in her arms and flew his body around trying to break free. Damon gave them a glance and then invited the girl to follow him inside.

"This is Katherine, yadda, yadda, yadda, whatever," he introduced the girl behind him. She was pretty, roughly 5' 6'', brown hair, brown eyes. "Scoot," he said to Hailie as he approached he couch. She jumped down off the couch and landed on the ground with a smile. Then she took off running up the stairs. Elena sighed and followed up the stairs to dress Parker and put them down to sleep.

"Sorry about that, didn't know they would still be up," Damon apologized to the girl Katherine.

"You have _kids?"_ She asked incredulously.

He laughed, "_No, _you kidding me? They're my brother's kids." He made his way over to the table where all his best bourbon was laid out. Elena had it packed away, but after some searching, he found it in a box in the kitchen. He poured two glasses, one for himself and the other for Katherine.

"Thanks," she said with a smirk as she took the drink, "I had other things on my mind though, besides drinking."

"Oh really?" he asked with his lopsided grin,

"Mhm," she nodded seductively.

"Well let's go find a room," he replied, as equally as sexy. He grabbed her hands and led her up the stairs, only to stop half way up and pin her against the wall. "I'd take you right here if I could," he whispered into her ear. He roughly pressed his lower body to hers, earning a moan. Slowly, Katherine started unbuttoning her top shirt, revealing her red lacy bra. "You're so hot."

"Damon!" A high-pitched voice yelled at the top of the stairs. Their heads shot up to the top to reveal Hailie, in her pajamas staring down at them. Her hair was in two pig-tails atop of her had, all messy. "What you doing?" she yelled again.

"Hailie," he groaned, resting his head on Katherine's shoulder. "Cock-block," he muttered under his breath. He felt Katherine sign in annoyance, and when he lifted his head, saw her roll her eyes and button her shirt once again. "Get over here," he said rudely. He watched as Hailie slowly walked over to him, worry clear on his face. "This never happened."

"Uh-huh!" she said nodding her head up and down. "I saw, I saw you kissing her and her shirt open," Hailie said, mad that Damon had tried to say she was wrong.

"Don't tell your mom and I'll get you more ice cream," he said, kneeling down to her height. "Got it cock-block?"

She looked up at him and cocked her head to the side. "What is that?"

"You want the ice cream or no?" he asked aggravated. She nodded eagerly with a wide grin plastered onto her face. "Good, don't tell your mom and you can have some tomorrow. Go back to your room and sleep," he shooed her away. Hailie looked at Katherine once more before running up the stairs and into her room.

"What an annoyance," Katherine said referring to Hailie. "Let's get back to where we were," she grinned, grabbing Damon by the shoulders and pulling their bodies flush against each other.

* * *

Elena woke early the next day, someone tapping her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw Parker standing there. "Hey bud," she said, her voice cracking due to its dryness. Looking at her clock, she was it read 6 am. She groaned and threw her head back on her pillow as Parker crept into her bed, lying beside her. She sighed loudly once she realized that she had to get up and get her day started. Elena got out of bed and picked out her outfit for the day, a black pencil skirt and a light purple blouse. She yawned while putting her black heels on to finish her outfit. "Parker," she called to her son, waking him.

Elena got both kids up and ready for the day. Was Damon still here? What about that girl that had followed him through the door? Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she continued making scrambled eggs for breakfast. "Mom," Hailie called from her seat at the table. Elena turned in her direction to see what she needed. "That guy, what's his name again?"

Elena laughed, "Damon, honey, his name is Damon."

"Yeah," Hailie nodded. "Damon had a girl here last night. And I saw them _kissing," _she whispered the last word as if it were bad.

Elena chuckled, "That's Damon for ya," she mumbled.

"And she has buttons on her shirt mom, and they was all opened!" Hailie continued tattling. Elena mood shifted quickly, why had Damon been so irresponsible to let that happen in the house while the kids were still up? She rolled her eyes and served the kids their eggs and toast. Elena heard footsteps in the kitchen and turned to see who is was. The girl Damon brought home.

"Mind if I take one for the road?" she asked, a slight glimmer in her eyes, while pointing to the toast. Her hair was messy, her makeup smeared under her eyes, and her heels being held in one of her hands. Elena nodded and Damon's hook-up grabbed two pieces of the toast instead, with a small smirk, she thanked Elena and walked out the front door. As the front door closed Damon walked into the kitchen, his hair all over the place and in nothing but sweat pants. Elena's breath caught in her throat at the sight.

"See something you like?" he smirked. She adjusted her eyes from his abs to his face, and shook her had no feverishly.

"So who was that?" Elena asked, taking the attention off her.

"Who?" he asked cocking an eyebrow. "_Oh, _Katherine Pierce? A girl from high school I used to have a _thing _with. It sure is great catching up with old buddies," he answered and put a piece of toast into his mouth. Elena scrunched her nose up and rolled her eyes. _Gross. _"Hey, don't be hating cause you haven't been getting any."

"Damon!" she yelled shocked and he laughed. "You're a pig," she said disgusted and picked Parker up, grabbed Hailie's hand and led them out of the house to her car. Halfway there, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Bonnie's number. "Hey Bon, I'm on my way now, about 5 minutes away."

"Elena…" Bonnie said, her voice a bit shaky, "I forgot to tell you, but I can't watch the kids today. I have a doctors appointment about 2 hours away."

"Oh..."

"I'm really sorry," Bonnie apologized.

"No it's fine, don't worry about it. Good luck at the doctors," Elena said sincerely. She sighed and hung up, what was she suppose to do with the kids? Bonnie watched them everyday for her! _Of course this would happen to her. _She pulled over on the side of the road, dialing various people to see if they could watch the kids for her today, but of course she was last minute and everyone else already had something to do today. Running out of options, she called the house to see if Damon was home, which he was. Music was blaring in the background.

"Hello?" he yelled over the loud noise. "Salvatore residence, Damon speaking, what do you want?"

Rolling her eyes for the thousandth time she answered, "It's Elena, Damon, listen I really need your help. Can you watch the kids for just a few hours? Please?"

"Let's see, watch kids _or _go to the bar and find a very pretty lady… _hmm_."

"_Damon-"_

"Alright, I'll watch the brats."

* * *

Elena dropped the kids off at the house and left for work once more. Damon had no idea what the hell he was doing with them. The girl was running around going crazy and the boy wouldn't stop crying. Whatever the hell their names were, they were driving him crazy. Sipping his bourbon once more, he yelled at the girl, "Quit running up and down the stairs!"

"I want ice cream! You said you would give me ice cream if I didn't tell my mommy!" Hailie yelled back, running down the stairs for the twentieth time in the past minute.

"Holy crap," he mumbled. "Get in the kitchen," he said rolling his eyes and followed her into it. He got the tub of vanilla ice cream out of the freezer and grabbed a spoon, putting it in front of Hailie to eat. She quickly indulged in it and Damon walked out. Why would someone put themselves through this much with kids? This was the exact reason why he didn't have any kids, nor would he want any kids.

* * *

Elena walked into work, ten minutes late, and rushed to the front desk and took her seat. Matt had put the papers that would need to be filed on her desk and quickly went to work.

"Elena," Matt said approaching her.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking concerned.

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," he crossed his arms, "You looked pretty upset yesterday when you took off."

_Was that only yesterday? Gosh, it felt like days ago. _"Oh, no. I'm fine, yesterday I just had a lot going on and needed to get out." He nodded, seeming to understand, and walked back out. Elena felt a sudden rush of embarrassment. Usually she was good at controlling her emotions and behavior, yesterday seemed to be her breaking point. Stefan was the only one who could get her all twisted up, as she had been yesterday. She loved him too much. She would do anything for her kids, they meant absolutely everything to her, and she couldn't understand how Stefan could just leave them.


End file.
